Ice Castles – A Winter Wonderland in New Hampshire

To say the Ice Castles in Lincoln is ‘cool’ would be, well, a well-intended pun! This is the fourth winter that the White Mountains town of Lincoln has been home to the Ice Castles, an icy mansion that takes shape from 3 key ingredients: icicles, cold weather, and a whole lot of creativity. Step inside this acre-sized structure, walk around the massive glacial pillars of ice and you can’t help but get whisked away to a magical wintry wonderland.

It’s an awesome sight during the day, and even more spectacular at night when all the lights illuminate the ice. We stopped by as the team was putting the finishing touches on this year’s creation. Here’s a sneak-peek at what visitors can expect this year.

It takes thousands and thousands of icicles to make the magnificent structure. The building started early in December and as you can imagine the whole process relies heavily on cooperation from mother nature. Tyler Christensen, who leads the effort in Lincoln gives us a behind the scenes look at the making of this Ice Castle.

The Lincoln site is one of just four locations in the U.S., and the only one on the East Coast handcrafted by the Utah based Ice Castles, LLC. The other locations include: Midway, Utah; Stillwater, Minnesota; and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin and there is one in Edmonton, Alberta. If you’re planning to experience the Ice Castles, here a few suggestions to help make the most of your trip. Be sure to dress for the weather. Keep in mind, this is a structure built entirely of ice and the floor is made of crushed ice, so winter boots, jackets, hats, mittens and scarves are all highly recommended. It’s suggested that you buy your tickets in advance online. When you do, you pick an arrival time and the folks at the Ice Castles suggest you arrive within your 30 minute time frame. One other note, if you are visiting the Ice Castles with small children bring a small sled to pull them in, instead of a stroller as it’s difficult to push a stroller along the icy floor. And one final note, be sure to take lots of pictures. Here are a few of my favorites.